Kristallnacht - aftermath of an atrocity

Following a night of chaos in November 1938 - Kristallnacht - when synagogues and Jewish businesses throughout Germany were destroyed by the rising Nazi party, the British government offered refuge to 10,000 Jewish children.

Following a night of chaos in November 1938 - Kristallnacht - when synagogues and Jewish businesses throughout Germany were destroyed by the rising Nazi party, the British government offered refuge to 10,000 Jewish children.

This rescue operation was known as Kindertransport and has been retold in a play by Diane Samuels, written in 1993.

Many of the children who came to England never saw their parents again because they perished in the concentration camps, and although the children settled into new families, not all of them were happy.

The adaptation by Oaklands Theatre Group of these events focuses on the reunion of a Kindertransport girl and her mother several years later. Understandably, both of them have changed. The mother has survived the atrocities of a concentration camp while her daughter has developed a close bond with her new family, and struggles with the idea of leaving them.

Tinged with moments of both sadness and joy, Kindertransport reflects on the devastating regime thousands of Jews were forced to endure throughout the Second World War, and the courage and tenacity they displayed in order to survive and tell their stories today.

As director Debbie Unerman says: "The parents took part in what was probably the largest self-sacrificial action ever, and the children travelled into the unknown - scared, without a language and, for the most part, alone. The play deals with the very real problems encountered when one of the surviving parents comes to claim their child."

The subject is particularly close to the hearts of the members of Oaklands Drama Group, established in 1982 as part of the social activities based at Northwood and Pinner Liberal Synagogue (NPLS).

Its work ranges from Arthur Miller to Alan Ayckbourn, from Pinter to pantomime, all of which is performed at home in Northwood, as well as at Sadlers Wells, Theatre Royal Bristol, halls in central London and even the Czech Republic.

* You can see Kindertransport at NPLS, Oaklands Gate, Green Lane, Northwood, HA6 3AA from Tuesday, February 24 until Thursday, February 26. Shows start at 8pm. Tickets cost £7 (concessions £5). For more information and bookings, call the box office on 01923 827 867.